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by fukmylyf (orphan_account)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Everyone forgets the game, F/F, F/M, Gen, Karkats a total headcase, M/M, Memories, Mental Institutions, Post-Sburb/Sgrub, also a few OCs - Freeform, except Karkat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-16
Updated: 2014-05-16
Packaged: 2018-01-25 00:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1622732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/fukmylyf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat remembers the game, but nobody else does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> if somebody could suggest a good title for this fic, it'd be much appreciated.

Your work at the psychiatric ward in New Alternia is dull, boring and monotonous. Not that you mind, really, but if you have to deal with one more adolescent with a clinical depression, you’ll blow a fuse. That’s all the cases you get anymore and it is driving you up the wall.

You love your job, you really do, but when you’re spending your days listening to kids babble about their problems, you wish you were home. Home in Kanaya’s arms, listening to her tell you about her day at work, her fingers tracing patterns on your thigh.

Your name is Rose Lalonde and you’re hoping for something exciting to happen.

 

~

 

Your door is locked and you’re panting. You cannot _believe_ Sollux backstabbed you like that, calling people to “help” you deal with your somewhat helpless situation. He always was an asshole and you knew, _you fucking knew_ , it would be a mistake to tell him. About. Those dreams. But you know they aren’t dreams. They’re memories. You can control dreams, and normally you’re supposed to recognize the people from your dreams.

But your dreams are filled with strangers. At least, that’s what they are now.

There’s knocking at your door and you feel a growl bubble up in your throat.

“KK! Open the fucking door, thethe people jutht want to help you! We’re worried, ok?”

“Fuck off Sollux!”

You move to the other side of the room, as far away from the door as possible, to cower behindyour pile of romcoms and pillows.

“Karkat!”

He’s exasperated enough to call you by your full name. Well. That’s new.

“Karkat, open up.” Different voice. Raspier, loud without meaning to be, almost a feminine version of your own. Except that voice is normally mixed with mirth, unlike yours. However, now it just sounds pissed.

“Why? So you can shove me in a freaking mental ward?”

“Karkat, it’s for your own good.”

“’For your own good’, my ass!” you quip, in an unrealistic imitation of her voice.

You hear her growl and hear a loud crack as she slams against your frail wooden door.

“Karkat Vantas, I swear to gog, if you don’t-“

By the time she gets over to your hiding spot, you’re long gone, out the window and down the street. Terezi yells at you, but you can’t hear her. Your mind is focused on one task and one task only: getting away.

That might be the reason you don’t see the bus turn the corner, and the reason you halt in your sprint just a little too late.


	2. Chapter 2

It’s finally time for you to go home, and you’re putting a few sheets of paperwork in your bag that could still use some checking up. You get up to leave and are about to push open your door when someone else does it for you.

You stumble back and stare at the intruder, a floppy haired gent you know works at the other end of the institution.

“Ms Lalonde, you’ve been called for! New case, really odd, said he knew you,” he spits out, words collapsing together.

“Can it not wait until tomorrow? I’ve had a long day.”

“Nope, sorry ma’am, but you’re wanted, now!”

“Lead the way, then,” you reply. You have to admit, you’re a little curious as to who this mysterious stranger is, and make a mental note to apologize to Kanaya profusely when you get home.

 

~

 

When you come to, everything is still black, but you can hear someone ranting at you. Terezi again. Goddamnit. You open your eyes slightly but close them again almost immediately. Why is everything so goddamn bright and _white?_ You groan softly, curling up into a tight ball.

“Karkat! You’re awake!” she shrieks. Fuck, your head. Why does it hurt so much?

“Thank gog, we thought you’d lapsed into a coma, and that means that we’d have to move you to a hospital but gog knows what you’d do there, I mean, seriously! I knew you were stupid, but _suicidal?_ ”

“Shut the fuck up,” you moan. You twist on the floor, feeling padded ground beneath you. Your arms are uncomfortably wrapped around you and you glance down to find out why. The light still burns, but you force yourself to get used to it. Judging from the straitjacket and padded walls, you’re probably not going to be leaving any time soon.

You’d be damned if you weren’t going to try though, and start chewing at your bonds, trying to rip them with your admittedly blunt teeth.

“Karkles, stop right there!” Terezi orders, grabbing a fistful of your hair and yanking it back. You glare at her, fully aware of how compromising this might look. Especially since she’s standing in front of you now and placing a foot on your thigh.

“Fuck you! I told you I was fine! I didn’t want help because I _knew_ you stupid assholes would throw me in here,” you growl at her.

“Mr. Vantas. I had to pull a _lot_ of strings to get them not to gag you, but if you continue shouting like that…” she digs her heel into your thigh and grins when you give a sharp inhale.

“Old habits die hard, don’t they?” She gets off you, walking towards the door. You glare at her, hating your seven sweep self for telling her about your self-destructive tendencies.

“Wait, Pyrope!” She pauses, holding the door open with one hand. “Could you ask for… um… Rose Lalonde? She’s a therapist or something.”

She turns around to give you a look, and then leaves.

A few moments later they send a different doctor in, not Lalonde. You pounce at him, bite him on the shoulder, and apparently that’s enough to convince them that maybe, just maybe, it’s a good idea to get her. You read an article on her. She’s the best at dealing with trolls.


	3. Chapter 3

You arrive in a large room with many little doors branching off of it. You are only too familiar with this wing of the Skaia Psychiatric Hospital, having been declared a master at dealing with wild trolls. Your experience with Kanaya taught you well, and you used your wisdom in work. It made your job a little more entertaining, if anything.

You’ve been scanning through your new patient’s file. Severe clinical depression is the only diagnosed problem. He also is reported to have violent hallucinations, but that’s about it. Why he’s been put in the section of the troll wing reserved for maniacs, you don’t know.

The few doctors milling around look up when they hear your high heels tap-tap across the marble floor.

“Ms. Lalonde. Terribly sorry to have you come in this late hour, but it’s kind of urgent.”

You nod, barely listening. You put your bag down and take your notebook and pencil case out before making your way into Karkat’s room.

He’s standing opposite you. His records show that he’s practically the same age as you, but he doesn’t appear to have ever grown past sixteen. He’s lean and muscular, and there’s something dark and wizened about his eyes, as if they’ve seen more trouble than anyone else. He cocks his head at you, recognition on his face. You trot over to him and take the gag off.

“You know, I have a kind of phobia for the color white,” is the first thing he says. You give him a disbelieving stare. 

“And why’s that?” you ask, helping him sit down before joining him, reclining against the soft padded walls of the room.

“Uh… Does the name Mr. Vanilla Milkshake ring any bells?”

“If I’m not mistaken he was a pedophile arrested quite a few years ago. Did he…”

He shakes his head.

“Wrong Vanilla Milkshake. Scratch. Doc Scratch. He was, um, a puppet, I guess? He… wait, what do they call my dreams or whatever?”

“Violent hallucinations.”

“He appeared in my violent hallucinations. Not that often, but it’s enough. He’s a freaky all-knowing pedophile… Well, I guess the pedophile part is debatable.”

You stare at him. It’s like he’s stuck in time. The way he talks, shrugs his shoulders. The frightened looks he gives, the curiosity he shows. This is not a ten sweep old troll. This is a sixteen year old boy.

“Karkat, why don’t you tell me more about these violent hallucinations?”

“You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

“How so?”

“Huh. Well, you’re still dating Kanaya, right? Fuck, it was embarrassing before. Me and Dave used to purposely avoid the rooms you were in because entrance meant a whole lot of mouth-to-mouth action, and sometimes even more than that. Especially after that stint you had, near the end of the ride. You figured out how to alchemize alcohol-“

“How do you know about my brother and my girlfriend?” you ask, butting in. Not professional at all, you should let him finish talking, but he knows about your _family_. Not even the people you work with here know about them. Well, not really.

“I’m not hallucinating. I’m remembering.”

You stare at him. You blink once, twice. “It’s not possible.”

“Then explain to me why I know a bunch of fuckers I’ve never even met before. Come on, Lalonde, I know it sounds stupid, or impossible but I’ve been dealing with this shit since I was _six._ I’ve had plenty of time to think about it.”

“Sweeps or years?”

“Sweeps.”

“Did they start randomly, out of the blue?”

“Yep. First one happened on my birthday.”

“Your friends, outside. How long have you known them?”

“I met them when I was seven. I recognized them from my dreams, so I started talking to them. We became pretty close. They’re complete assholes though. I told them about my “violent hallucinations” and next thing I know, I’m some kind of head case.”

“Karkat. Is there any common appearance in your memories?”

He gives you a strange look.

“You called them memories.”

“I’m relatively sure that you can tell the difference between a memory and a dream. And I trust your judgment. So, any common theme?”

“Theme? No. But there were plenty of people who were regulars. And… there was a game.”

“What people?”

“Do you really want to know the names of all of them? There’s, like, thirty-two.”

“We have plenty of time. I’d also like the name of the game.”

An hour later and you’re discussing Karkat’s mental health with his friends Terezi and Sollux. They seem genuinely worried, and you suppose it’s understandable.

Half an hour later you’re home, list still clutched in your hand. You’ve circled the names that you and Terezi recognized. Sollux briefly mentioned an Eridan before he got back to worriedly glancing at the door and asking if he could enter.

Kanaya stumbles into your study.

“Rose, what are you doing?”

“Researching. Have you ever heard of a Karkat Vantas?”

“I… No. Why do you ask?”

“He’s my newest patient. He knew about you and Dave, but it was a different kind of know. He knew us as friends.”

“Really?”

“I was surprised as well. Here, do you recognize any of these names?”

“Well…”

She glances down at the list. “Vriska and Eridan. And Porrim is my hatchmate. What is this list?”

“All of his friends. From his memories, shall we say.”

“He’s actually not a creepy stalker?”

“No, but I’m still going to follow up on these. It’s about time I visited Dave again anyways.”

You grin darkly and add silently in your head, _especially since he’s dating again._ You never did trust your brother’s half-assed texts.


End file.
